The Evolving Jew

When you hear or see a report on the radio or TV about the suffering and death in Gaza, please don't reflexively shut it off, thinking that it's "anti-Israel". Yes, we can, and should, stand with Israel during this fight. Yes, Israel is in the right here. But that doesn't negate the tremendous human suffering on the other side. It doesn't change the fact that children are being killed by our bombs, even if Hamas did put them in harm's way. It doesn't mean that innocent people aren't being killed, wounded, and displaced in massive numbers. We should continue to cheer on our side, but we should also remember that war is hell, and there's nothing good about it. Israel is doing what she has to. But there are ugly consequences to the actions she has been forced to take, and we cannot diminish our humanity by ignoring that. As Jews and human beings, our empathy should extend across enemy lines. So next time a report from Gaza comes on, forc

I hate to say it, but if Israel is already launching a ground invasion (which I'm ambivalent about), they should do it right. Any cease-fire or agreement to withdraw that leaves Hamas still in power means nothing was accomplished in the long run. We'll just have to do the same dance again in two or three years. And even during the supposed quiet, Hamas will continue taking potshots at communities like Sderot. Removing Hamas from power entirely will leave a power vacuum that Israel may have to fill. And I hate the idea of our troops having to be there long-term again. But if it's done right, maybe it can return Gaza to normalcy and quiet, and with Hamas out of the picture, perhaps even set the stage for a peace agreement in a couple of years. Whatever happens, I pray for the safety of our soldiers and of all innocent people.

Dreams of "peace" tend to be farfetched. If peace means warm relations and no tension ever, and if that's the goal of negotiations, then negotiations will never lead anywhere. Various Israeli governments talk about "difficult sacrifices" in return for "peace", but the implication is always that the only peace worthy of those sacrifices is a everlasting / kumbaya / we all love one another type of peace. A more realistic goal is basically a perpetual truce. We can call it a "peace" agreement while being aware that it would be a tough agreement where most people will be unhappy, and where there will still be tension and even occasional violence. But if we're ever going to get out of the current endless cycle, we have to understand that even that kind of peace may be worth some "difficult sacrifices". And hopefully, that might even, over time, progress to a warmer peace.

I found this building in downtown Hartford, a few blocks away from my work. Any ideas what this was? Why did this society decide to use the Jewish year? (תרנ"ד - 1894) What was the significance? Here's the whole building At some later point, it must've become the Law Tribune building.

I have a confession to make. I don't feel the death of the 3 boys in Israel as deeply as some of you seem to. Don't get me wrong. It's terribly sad. And the way they died is tragic and horrifying. And when I think of the parents, I realize I can't imagine what they're going through. But I haven't cried. I haven't made tribute videos. I haven't felt like I'm in deep mourning. I haven't filled my Facebook wall with their pictures. I simply wrote "BDE", and expressed my deep and sincere sympathy for the families. I didn't know these boys. They were strangers. As a fellow Jew, I feel deep sympathy for the families.. But I don't feel like I lost a family member myself. I want to tell you about two other young people who lost their lives in Israel recently. Their names were Yishai Levy (11 years old) and his sister Sara Levy (10 years old). Somehow, their deaths hit me harder than those of Naftali, Eyal, and Gilad. Maybe it

You remember all the suicide bombings in the 90's and the early 00's? Remember the constant terrorism? Remember innocent people being killed every few weeks? I think that we've gotten used to living without that constant threat, without that constant barrage of attacks. The very fact that people are reacting in a hyperbolic manner and demanding mass murder of civilians as revenge is itself an indication that we've forgotten how to react to terrorism. There is no silver lining to this terrible tragedy of the 3 boys. But perhaps there's a silver lining to people's inappropriate reactions. It reminds us that Israel has become far safer for civilians in the past decade. We are no longer numb to all the death. When the kind of terror that we used to experience on a regular basis returns, we react in a way that shows our raw sensitivity. It shows that, small comfort it may be to the mothers of these boys, Israel is, Thank God, a relatively safe place to live or v